Beaver

For Regional Chancellor Carey McDougall, Penn State Beaver's role in the Beaver Valley extends far beyond the classroom. Through partnerships with local government, employers, schools and community organizations, the campus serves as a trusted resource, helping connect community needs with the expertise, talent and opportunities available through Penn State.

WATCH: Penn State Beaver, a commitment to the Pittsburgh area | Penn State University

title

For Regional Chancellor Carey McDougall, Penn State Beaver's role in the Beaver Valley extends far beyond the classroom. Through partnerships with local government, employers, schools and community organizations, the campus serves as a trusted resource, helping connect community needs with the expertise, talent and opportunities available through Penn State.

description

abstract

robots

https://psu-gatsby-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/styles/16_9_1000w/public/2026/07/pennstatenews_mcdougall.jpg?h=b5653d73&itok=WpsnpacX

WATCH: Penn State Beaver, a commitment to the Pittsburgh area

The Pennsylvania General Assembly has approved a 2026-27 state budget that includes more than $4 million in new performance-based funding for Penn State, marking the University’s first increase in state education funding since the 2019-20 fiscal year.

Penn State to receive performance-based funding in 2026-27 state budget | Penn State University

The Pennsylvania General Assembly has approved a 2026-27 state budget that includes more than $4 million in new performance-based funding for Penn State, marking the University’s first increase in state education funding since the 2019-20 fiscal year.

https://psu-gatsby-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/styles/16_9_1000w/public/2026/01/capitol-pa.jpg?h=6eb229a4&itok=wbbwPJDh

Administration

Penn State to receive performance-based funding in 2026-27 state budget

As Penn State prepares for the public launch of its most ambitious fundraising campaign to date, donors at every level have rallied to the need for partnership and support with more than $662.7 million in new gifts during the fiscal year that ended on June 30. The total shatters the University’s past record of $563.5 million, achieved in 2024-25, and reflects commitments from almost 241,000 alumni, friends, fans, corporations and foundations, a number that is also a new record.

Penn State breaks fundraising records, accelerates campaign momentum | Penn State University

As Penn State prepares for the public launch of its most ambitious fundraising campaign to date, donors at every level have rallied to the need for partnership and support with more than $662.7 million in new gifts during the fiscal year that ended on June 30. The total shatters the University’s past record of $563.5 million, achieved in 2024-25, and reflects commitments from almost 241,000 alumni, friends, fans, corporations and foundations, a number that is also a new record.

https://psu-gatsby-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/styles/16_9_1000w/public/2022/09/22%208%203-Hintz%20Lawn.jpg?h=84071268&itok=afoYmNKb

Development and Alumni Relations

Penn State breaks fundraising records, accelerates campaign momentum

ai_sciencejournalhero

Adopting, advancing and adapting to AI

Penn State trustees recap: Board approves budget, tuition for 2027-28

Board of Trustees approves housing and dining rates for 2027-28 academic year

Board of Trustees approves 2027-28 budget and tuition plan

Student Farm and Food Systems to host annual Summer Plant Sale, July 23-24

Wildfire smoke: Campus communities should monitor conditions, follow guidelines

Q&A: How to stay safe from cyclospora, the parasite causing stomach bug outbreak

The Medical Minute: Specialized treatment helped patient smile again

Paintable electrodes could power creative and colorful wearable sensors

Town hall to focus on research security and evolving federal requirements

Landmark gift to build program promoting empathy and compassion

Penn State Master Gardeners to share gardening expertise at Ag Progress Days

Kids received mental health treatment in record numbers after pandemic

Creating pathways: How Penn State Berks is supporting Latino student success in Reading

Pooles commit $5M gift to West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium revitalization project

WATCH: Penn State Lehigh Valley, a commitment to eastern Pennsylvania

The Medical Minute: Let the experts handle the Independence Day fireworks

Seven-figure gift endows directorship of real estate innovation institute

New entrepreneurship, commercialization structure to grow research impact

How Penn State Beaver is helping farmers respond sooner to animal health challenges

Penn State Behrend team works with National Park Service to preserve Liberty Bell

WATCH: Penn State Altoona, a commitment to central Pennsylvania 

Penn State ranks No. 20 in space science in US News 2026-27 'Global Universities' 

Don Toliver brings 'NITROUS – OCTANE WORLD TOUR' to the BJC on Sept. 2

Student Farm and Food Systems to host eighth annual Summer Solstice Celebration

Latest News

2026-Commencement-GreaterAllegheny

2026-Commencement-University Park_Smeal01

sp-2026-top-picture.jpg

2026.05.01-penn-state-crew.jpg

2026 Blue-White Practice Rocco Becht and James Peoples

04132026_Bring your child to work day

041126 men's lacrosse vs Michigan 01

2026.03.31-suw-design-and-build-challenge-124.jpg

Graduate Exhibition 2026 - Performance Night

03062026_POTD_Equine Foal

Around Campus

More research news

Agricultural Sciences

College of Agricultural Sciences

In this Q&amp;A, experts from Penn State Extension and Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences discussed the outbreak, preventing infection and what to do if experiencing symptoms.

Q&A: How to stay safe from cyclospora, the parasite causing stomach bug outbreak | Penn State University

In this Q&A, experts from Penn State Extension and Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences discussed the outbreak, preventing infection and what to do if experiencing symptoms.

https://psu-gatsby-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/styles/16_9_1000w/public/2026/07/randy-fath-on-unsplash.png?h=6eb229a4&itok=eXqkYILN

Research

Engineers at Penn State are blending art and science to create cute, paint-on tattoos&nbsp;capable of recording different electrical signals produced by the body with more sensitivity, durability and accuracy than other wearable sensor designs.

Paintable electrodes could power creative and colorful wearable sensors | Penn State University

Engineers at Penn State are blending art and science to create cute, paint-on tattoos capable of recording different electrical signals produced by the body with more sensitivity, durability and accuracy than other wearable sensor designs.

https://psu-gatsby-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/styles/16_9_1000w/public/2026/07/header_0.jpg?h=84071268&itok=_bYEFYdh

Health and Human Development

College of Health and Human Development

Among people with obesity, adding one avocado per day to their regular diet reduced the concentration of proteins that transport cholesterol through the body in their blood, according to a new study led by Penn State researchers.&nbsp;

Eating an avocado a day lowers heart disease risk factor for people with obesity | Penn State University

Among people with obesity, adding one avocado per day to their regular diet reduced the concentration of proteins that transport cholesterol through the body in their blood, according to a new study led by Penn State researchers. 

https://psu-gatsby-files-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/styles/16_9_1000w/public/2026/07/avocado-2201069900-aleksandargeorgiev.jpg?h=cfc98cb6&itok=1bVUY6Ak

Eating an avocado a day lowers heart disease risk factor for people with obesity

Featured Research

A new study, led by a team from Penn State College of Medicine, found that when teenagers go to sleep and when they wake up may be the driving force behind what teenagers eat and how much they move. Teens who went to sleep later and woke up later were more likely to consume more calories, snack more and be less physically active — especially when in school compared to on break from school.

Study: Teens' sleep patterns affect their diet, exercise

A thick layer of haze around the ultra-low-density planet Kepler-51d likely obscures not only the strange planet’s composition, but also its origin, according to a new study. A team led by Penn State researchers used NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to take a deeper look at the “super-puff” planet that defies planetary formation models.

'Cotton candy’ planet hides its secrets beneath a massive layer of haze

Lightning formation and the conditions triggering it have long been shrouded in a cloud of mystery, but new research led by Penn State scientists is lifting the fog. Using mathematical calculations, the researchers discovered that lightning-like discharge doesn’t require a storm cloud — it could be made inside everyday material on a lab bench.

Researchers make mini-lightning in a block of plastic

Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi shared her thoughts in a new blog in Forbes highlighting the importance of valuing people in the age of AI — and how universities like Penn State are preparing students for the workplaces of the future.

Why People Are The Smartest AI Investment—And What It Means For Universities

Tardigrades, commonly known as water bears, may be better suited by a new name: Tardiguardians of the Galaxy. Unlike the fictional ragtag team of unenthusiastic heroes, the microscopic animals are providing real insight into how humans could adapt extraterrestrial resources to support space exploration, as well as whether such resources could help protect against the Earthly contaminants that humans might shed. This is according to an international study co-led by Penn State Altoona Professor of Microbiology Corien Bakermans.

‘Water bears’ reveal potential for adapting, protecting Martian resources

Thunderstorms often illuminate the night sky with flashes of lightning. They also seem to make treetops glow and sparkle — although the phenomenon is pretty much invisible to the naked eye. In a study led by Penn State published Feb. 12 in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, scientists provide the first direct observations of the weak electrical discharges around trees in nature.

Scientists capture first-ever ultraviolet 'sparkles' from treetops

Penn State researchers have developed a new high-temperature polymer capacitor that can store four times more energy than conventional designs while operating at temperatures up to 482 degrees Fahrenheit. The advance could improve power systems in electric vehicles, data centers, aerospace systems and other high-heat environments where today’s capacitors quickly fail.

New plastic material could solve energy storage challenge, researchers report

A new study offers a look at how the building blocks of life might have originated in the cosmos. Penn State scientists suggest that the amino acids found on the asteroid Bennu did not require warm, liquid water to form, as previously assumed. The team analyzed tiny samples, consisting of roughly 4.6-billion-year-old rocks, delivered by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission to Earth in 2023.

Radioactive space can host building blocks of life, asteroid samples reveal

Researchers at Penn State say they’ve developed a new hydrogel material inspired by octopus skin that can encode images directly into its structure. The imprinted images then disappear and reappear when the skin is exposed to subtle changes in temperature or a surrounding solvent. The result is a “4D” synthetic smart skin capable of revealing hidden images and shifting surface patterns.

Study: Octopus-inspired material could lead to better camouflage tech

How a new father behaves toward his baby can change family dynamics in a way that affects the child’s heart and metabolic health years later, according to a new study by researchers in the Penn State College of Health and Human Development.

Early dad's involvement linked to lasting child health, study finds

About half of older men suffer from sleep problems, back pain or both, according to Soomi Lee, associate professor of human development and family studies at Penn State. Lee recently led a study to investigate whether one precedes the other and found that back problems can predict sleep problems years later in men over 65 years old.

Study: Back pain might predict future sleep problems among men

Penn State President Neeli Bendapudi was featured in a CEO Magazine interview highlighting her belief in the transformative power of higher education and her efforts to expand access, advance ethical innovation, and strengthen the university’s educational, research, and economic impact.

President of PSU is redefining the power of education to transform lives

A new study led by researchers at Penn State found melanoma case rates tracking higher in counties with higher areas of cultivated land, where the use of chemical herbicides and pesticides can be higher.

Penn State study finds higher incidence of skin cancers in Pa.’s Farm Belt

In a significant advancement for materials science, scientists have successfully created niobium sulfide metallic nanotubes with stable, predictable properties for the first time. An international team, including Penn State researchers, achieved the long-sought feat using an unexpected ingredient—common table salt. According to researchers, the discovery could pave the way for faster electronics, efficient superconducting wires, and future quantum technologies.

Study: Common salt helps create nanomaterial for high-speed electronics

Researchers at Penn State have proposed a novel design for a lithium-ion (Li) battery. It could address the long-standing performance and stability issues of standard Li batteries in extreme temperatures. The design, dubbed the All-Climate Battery (ACB), was developed to fix a core flaw in standard Li batteries.

‘All-Climate Battery’ developed at Penn State could keep EVs running in extreme heat, cold

The discovery of a possible “super-Earth” less than 20 light-years from our own planet is offering scientists new hope in the hunt for other worlds that could harbor life, according to an international team including researchers from Penn State. They dubbed the exoplanet, named GJ 251 c, a “super-Earth” as data suggest it is almost four times as massive as the Earth and likely to be rocky planet.